Food
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Hakata Ikkousha Tonkatsu Ramen In Costa Mesa
The Background
The first Hakata Ikkousha hails from Fukoaka, Japan and first opened in 2004. It now has a number of restaurants thorughout Japan and can also be found in Singapore, Indonesia, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Australia, USA, and Canada. A pretty incredible expansion within a fairly small time frame.
When you break down the name it means one (Ichi) happy (ko) space (sha). A great combination of words to name a ramen restauarant since a nice hot bowl of ramen should indeed make for a “one happy space”.
Fortunately (for me), the three US locations are all located in Southern Calfornia. I went and checked out the Costa Mesa restaurant recently.
The Experience
The restaurant is in very busy center in Costa Mesa. It can become a parking nightmare at dinner time so I went for lunch. I got here about ten minutes after it opened (11:30 am). It’s a pretty small place. It started getting busy during the lunch rush and was filling up quickly.
The menu had quite a few different types of ramen broths to choose from. The Black Tonkotsu, God Fire, Mentai, and Black Devil Ramen all sounded super interesting.
When I go to a new ramen spot I always like trying their signature ramen, what they’re known for. It’s generally the Tonkatsu ($14) so that’s what I went with. They have a solid lunch combo menu where you can add a side dish for a little extra so I went with the 1/2 fried rice. All in all a pretty solid deal ~ $17.50.
You fill out the order sheet and it gets picked up by the server 
The lunch combo menu Service was very attentive and the food came out within 10 minutes.
The Ramen
Like the best tonkotsu broths, Ikkousha’s broth is extracted from pork bones over 30 hours long. This bowl comes a with a piece of pork chashu, black fungus, and spring onions.
I don’t ever recall seeing Tonkatsu ramen coming out so frothy like this before. The broth is rich, with a light umami taste. This doesn’t have a really deep flavor and isn’t overly rich for a tonkotsu broth though. It’s nice middle of the road flavor.
Only one piece of chashu comes with the ramen. It’s a good sized piece, but it’s disappointing that you need to shell out more money for an additional piece or two. The chashu itself was good. It was tender with good flavor.
The noodles here a very thin but definitely have a freshness to them and are tasty. I got the normal firmness and it was a little too firm for my liking. The next visit I’d definitely get soft, but that’s obviously a personal preference..
The black fungus mushroom shreds add a welcome different kind of texture to the ramen. They didn’t really have any kind of taste to them, purely provided texture to the bowl. Something that’s always welcome.
The Fried Rice
The fried rice had bits of pork in it with egg, onion, and green onion. The pork bits had great flavor and the fried rice had a bit of a charred bbq taste to it. There’s definitely a lot of onion pieces in here. I enjoyed the abundance of onion initially but got a little tired of it the more I ate. Overall an enjoyable fried rice!
The Verdict
There’s many many ramen options in Orange County and it’s hard to standout with so many delicious places to choose. Hakata Ikkousha Tonkatsu Ramen is a solid ramen option.
The tonkatsu broth is on the lighter side yet remains flavorful. It’s a good tonkatsu broth if you’re wanting something that’s not going to put you in a coma after.
I wouldn’t put Ikkousha at the top of my favorite ramen places I’ve visited in Orange County. But it’s certainly a nice change of pace and provides a good ramen option in the Costa Mesa area.
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Kin Long Beach: Reimagining Thai Classics with a Modern Twist
The Background
Kin Long Beach is a popular Thai restauarant located in Long Beach, CA. It has a more modern take on classic Thai dishes on a fairly expansive menu with a number of interesting options.
The Experience
I got here right when the restaurant opened up at 5 pm. There was already a number of people milling around waiting for the restaurant to open. Somewhat surprising given the early dinner time. But a positive sign for a good restaurant!
As I stated, the menu here is a good size, broken up nicely for easy consumption. The service was on point. The servers came by a few times to check in and make sure I had everything I needed. They did a great job of running through the menu as well.
It took some time to figure out exactly what I wanted but settled on the Bang Bang Shrimp for a starter and the Spicy Pad Thai as my main dish.
They coat breaded rock shrimp with a special house sauce to make the Bang Bang Shrimp.
The outer breading has a bit of crunch to it and isn’t heavily breaded. The shrimp is cooked perfectly. The sauce is creamy and savory with a little sweetness. There’s a surprising yet welcoming spicy kick to the sauce as well which was enjoyable.
Next up was the Spicy Pad Thai. It comprises flat rice noodles, chicken, egg, bean sprouts, green onions, onions, bell peppers, ground peanuts, and spicy tamarind sauce. The Spicy Pad Thai is different from the Pad Thai due to the tamarind sauce being spicy. All the other fixings are the same.
I always enjoy Pad Thai due to the unique flavor. Particularly, the perfect mixture of sweet, tangy, and savory. Also, the nutty flavor from the ground peanuts mixes in so flawlessy with all the other flavors, so good! Altogether they combine to create a classic Thai dish. Add in some spice and this was a very tasty Pad Thai! The spice level wasn’t overbearing. Especially for a dish like this, it seemed fitting. It was just right.
Something that was certainly enjoyable was the abundance of different textures. From the bouncy rice noodles, crunch from the bean sprouts, bellpeppers, and green onion, every bite brought fantastic flavor and texture. All the ingredients tasted fresh and I thought the quality was terrific.
The Verdict
Kin Long Beach brings quality Thai food to the Long Beach area. Sporting a large menu with plenty of options, there’s a lot to like from this cozy Thai restaurant. The Bang Bang Shrimp was solid and the low key spicy sauce really enhanced the dish overall. The added spice to the normal Pad Thai really upped the enjoyment to an already delicious dish. Without a doubt the restaurant is worth checking out if you’re craving Thai food and in the Long Beach area!
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Exploring Prince Street Pizza at Durango Casino & Resort, Las Vegas
Prince Street Pizza – The Background
Prince Street Pizza is a famous pizza restaurant that originates from New York City. First opening its doors in 2012 it has since made the coastal leap to California, along with other locations on the east coast. One of it’s newest locations is within the brand new Durango Casino & Resort in Las Vegas.
Prince Street has made a name for itself with its distinct Sicilian “SoHo” Squares and original Neapolitan pizzas.
To make sure the consistency of the dough maintains the same quality as the original New York pizzeria a water filtration process that closely replicates the New York water is used in all pizzerias.
I’ve never had Prince Street before so I didn’t have any comparison to the other locations but was excited to give the pizza a try!
The Experience
The first thing you notice about Prince Street is the restuaruant itself. Located in the Durango “food court” it’s not just a regular ol’ counter selling Prince Street pizza. This is a detailed store front which gives it a lot of personality. There’s no specific Prince Street seating, but there’s plenty of seating both inside and outside.
I stopped by here on a Friday at about 5pm and there was a fairly short line. The line was constant, never really letting up with 5-10 people in line the entire time I was there. It leads me to imagine at peak times it gets quite busy.
There’s quite a few options to choose from. I wish I had done some research prior!
I didn’t notice the menu, until after I had ordered, so I opted for the eye test. Choosing what looked the most delicious to me.
So many options…. Not only are there a lot of slice options with different toppings and sauces, but also the decision between square slices and traditional slices as well. It was a tough call. Ultimately I went with the Naughty Pie ($6.50 square) and the Sunset Square ($6.25 square).
The Naughty Pie consists of spicy vodka sauce, pepperoni, mozzarella, ricotta, and honey. While the Sunset Square is sweet marinara, mozzarella, pecorino romano, and garlic.
It did take a little while to receive the slices. There was only 1-2 ovens that was heating up the slices and they would go in one order at a time it seemed. All in all it probably took about 10-15 minutes to get the food.
The Naughty Pie
The Naughty Pie First up amongst the two slices I got was the Naughty Pie. Which again consisted of spicy vodka sauce, pepperoni, mozzarella, ricotta, and honey.
Things that stood out were how there’s not a ton of cheese or sauce on the slice. The big glob of ricotta cheese certainly is an eye catcher. There also wasn’t a TON of pepperoni on it.
The spicy vodka sauce is quite tasty. You can really taste that slight sweetness from the honey which adds a distinct taste to it. I didn’t get much of a spice kick from it though.
The ricotta cheese ball delivers a rich cheesey taste of goodness at the end of the slice which is quite a welcome flavor. I don’t recall ever eating a slice that had ricotta cheese on top, so that was something new and delicious.
The pepperoni had a nice char with a little crunch around its edges and was definitely good quality!
What really made the slice memorable was the crust.
The bottom of the crust is crispy and crunchy, while the remaining portion of the dough is, well, nice and doughy. It’s delicious and a high quality crust.
Overall the slice, due to the minimal cheese and sauce, is quite light. Even with a good sized ball of ricotta cheese on it, the slice remains remarkably light.
The Sunset Square
Slice #2 was the Sunset Square. Which, as a reminder, was sweet marinara, mozzarella, pecorino romano, and garlic.
There weren’t any hidden goodies with this slice. What you see is what you get. What looked like something that would be incredibly saucy and cheesy through the display, really wasn’t. It was a pretty simple slice.
The cheese and sauce was VERY minimal. You can taste the “sweet” part of the marinara for sure. It has a different taste than the vodka sauce.
The crust was outstanding as well with this slice. So clearly the crust is a staple here.
This slice to me was certainly lacking though. It’s a minimal slice with no toppings but there just wasn’t enough sauce or cheese.
Granted, it’s delicious crust, but I want a little more from my slice of cheese pizza.
The Verdict
Prince Street Pizza is a worthy addition to the new Durango food court. With a large assortment of slices and squares to choose from. The crust is top notch and the different types of sauces are commendable. The slices seem to be lighter since the cheese and sauce are minimal and there’s isn’t a TON of grease. If you like slices that don’t over do it with cheese or sauce and the focus is more on the crust and toppings than this is the place you.
I definitely would come back, I’d just focus on getting slices that have more toppings.
Random Musings
It was pretty difficult to choose amongst all the slices while in the thick of the line since the menu isn’t prominently displayed in the front where all the slices are.
It would be great if there was a menu in front where all the slices are located. Or at least if there was a description of what the pizza consisted of under the name of it.
The menu I took a picture of was on the side of the restaurant where there’s no slices displayed. It would be nice to know exactly what each pizza is comprised of while looking at the actual slices.
I’d recommend looking at the menu online and figuring out what slices are of interest prior to stepping into line.
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Sinful Subs Offers Unique Takes On Classic Sub Sandwiches
The Background
Looking for unique sub sandwiches in Las Vegas? Located off the Strip, Sinful Subs, has many classic subs like the Italian, Meatball, Club, Pastrami, but with a twist. The way the sandwiches look and are prepared is much different than what you’re accustomed to. Generally this involves going over the top with ingredients, like cheese or other ingredients, making for monstrous sandwiches.
There’s creative names like Knuckle Sandwich (Italian), Club To The Head (Club), Pastram – Bomb (Pastrami), amongst many others. If you’re in the mood for a sandwich and wanting to have something familiar but with a slightly different taste, this place is worth a try.
The Experience
With there being a number of “hybrid” sandwiches, there’s a wide selection to choose from here. It’s a tough call since so many of them sounded interesting!
I’m a sucker for club sandwiches and if I see one on the menu I’m most likely giving it a try. So the Club to The Head was always going to be the call for me!
All the sandwiches come in two different sizes the medium ($8.99) and large ($12.99). I went with the medium with a side of fries ($1.29) and a drink ($2.00). I also split an order of the meat styx ($6.99). Very affordable meal.
Even though I just got the medium sandwich it’s a pretty good size. It consists of pan roasted turkey, swiss cheese, applewood smoked bacon, and a load of lettuce and tomato.
To say there’s a lot of lettuce here is an understatement. I couldn’t even see anything else in the sandwich. There’s essentially a salad on top of the sando.
The lettuce comes tumbling out with each bite before you can actually get to the literal meat of the sandwich. The turkey is great quality and it’s definitely good sandwich meat. The roll was nice and fresh. Overall, it’s a solid club sandwich.
What was disappointing was the small portions of turkey, cheese, and bacon in the sandwich. I’m not a big cheese fan so this was actually fine for me. The turkey and bacon though….seemed to be a little lacking to me. Not in the quality, purely from the quantity.
After seeing how much lettuce was on top of the sandwich I thought there would be equally as much turkey and bacon within the sandwich, It’s not the case though.
I really enjoyed the fries cut into chips. These were certainly different from regular fries and quite delicious.
The meat styx are essentially egg rolls but the meat is the homemade meatloaf. They come with dipping sides of mashed potatoes with gravy and a straight gravy cup.
These are pretty tasty. Think of dipping an egg roll in a cup of gravy or into mashed potatoes and gravy and you essentially get meat styx. The gravy and mashed potatos are both quite yummy too.
The Verdict
I enjoyed the food at Sinful Subs, from the different takes on well-known classic sandwiches to the presentation, the subs are great. The prices are very affordable too.
I can’t speak for the other sandwiches, but for the Club to the Head I’d love to see more meat. The ratio of the lettuce and bread to the meat left a lot to be desired.
Like I mentioned previoulsy, there’s a lot of interesting sounding subs on the menu and I wouldn’t mind trying another one if I’m craving sub sandwiches out in Las Vegas!
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Exploring The Flavors Of The Crazy Pita Rotisserie and Grill
The Background
Crazy Pita Rotisserie and Grill is a fast-casual Mediterranean restuarant chain based in Las Vegas, NV. With a total of three restaurants in the Las Vegas / Henderson area and a fourth on it’s way to Texas, Crazy Pita has enjoyed measured success since it first opened it’s doors back in 2006.
Featuring a menu that ranges from pitas, skewer plates, rice bowls, salads, and rotisserie chicken, Crazy Pita offers a solid selection of Mediterranean options to choose from.
Outside of the menu, something that really stood out in the Downtown Summerlin location was the way you order. While there was the traditional employee at the front that occassionally took orders, there was another screen with someone that was taking orders virtually. I’m not sure if it’s the wave of the future but it was definitely different!
The Experience
Besides the ordering aspect, everything else is what you’d expect from a fast casual restaurant. You pay, get a number, find a seat, and wait for the food to come out. You’re provided a number and find a place to sit. While waiting for the food they provided some cinnamon and sugar pita pieces.
Cinnamon and sugar pita pieces These were good! They really just tasted like bite sized churros. If they came out freshly made these would be amazing, without a doubt.
While munching on the sugary pita pieces, the food came out shortly after. The service was great and the food came out quickly.
I wasn’t overly hungry so I went with the Chicken Pita and fries, thinking it would be lighter. The pita consisted of marinated chicken, hummus, roasted red bell peppers, marinated tomatoes, cucumbers, and romaine lettuce. Defintely a fairly healthy lunch! I mean, minus the side of french fries that comes with the pita. All in all, a good sized pita sandwich and a side of fries for $12.99 isn’t a bad deal.
There’s a lot of veggies packed in the pita with about 4-5 chunks of chicken in it. The chicken is tasty – it has that great char taste – and the seasoning is very flavorful. The veggies are fresh, and coated in a dressing similiar to Italian.
The pita sandwich provides so many layers of textures with every bite. The softness of the pita, the different crunchiness of the veggies, the tenderness of the chicken, it’s fantastic.
I got some Tzatziki sauce on the side and drizzled that on every bite while adding some Cholula sauce too. Adding these other sauces amps up the flavor of the pita sandwich overall. The hummus sauce included in the pita sandwich is good on its own, but I liked the extra sauce. I’m just a big sauce kind of person though.
The Verdict
Crazy Pita offers a nice variety of Mediterranean fare at reasonable prices. Service is great and the food is fresh and flavorful. The Chicken Pita was a good size, chalk full of veggies, with well-seasoned chunks of chicken. It’s a tasty pita for sures.
If you’re in the mood for some Mediterranean food in the Las Vegas area, Crazy Pita Rotisserie and Grill is certainly worth a visit!
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Leone Cafe Brings Italian Style Coffee To The Heart Of Las Vegas
The Background
Located in Tivoli Village in Summerlin (Las Vegas), Leone Cafe very much has a European feel to it when you enter. It fits right into the ambiance of Tivoli Village itself, which is designed to resemble a 1400s European Village. It’s certainly a unique area with shops, restaurants, office spaces, and living spaces all within this miniature village.
The decor within the cafe is great, simple, but really transports you out of the Las Vegas vibe.
Inside of the Cafe, waiting to order The Experience
Leon Cafe is a little different for such a large cafe. You find your own seat and wait in line to order. There’s a decent amount of seating but seats could be hard to come by at peak hours, especially something inside during really hot days. Fortunately, I was able to find something outside but the place was really busy.
Although known for their assortment of coffee, lattes, expressos, and juices, it’s not all that Leon Cafe offers. The food here is outstanding as well,
The menu is large and diverse with plenty of unique items. From breakfast sandwiches, omelettes, pizza, pasta, sandwiches, pastries, there’s really something for whatever you’re craving. That’s not even mentioning the aforementioned list of drink options as well. It’s a lot to sort through as you wait in line. Luckily, the line was long when I went on a Saturday around noonish. That seems odd to say, but will make sense if you visit this place and are figuring out what you want to order.
Overall, I loved the variety of the egg section of the menu. There’s a lot of creativity in how the eggs are prepared with influence from around the world. I was having a difficult time deciding until I noticed there a were a couple of skillet options. I’m a sucker for breakfast skillets, so I zeroed in on the Texas Skillet, which sounded amazing ($15.99)
The Texas Skillet The skillet consists of marinted ground beef, potatoes, Pico de Gallo, mixed melted cheese, sour cream, and two eggs any style. I opted for scrambled eggs.
The skillet was a MOUND of food. Potatoes with the seasoned ground beef mixed in make up the bed of the skillet with melted cheese covering the mixture. The scrambled eggs with Pico de Gallo and sour cream top it all off. Yum! I also added some Cholula and Tabasco Sauce to spice things up a bit too.
I’m not exactly sure what the seasoning is, some sort of Tex-Mex concoction, but it’s TASTY. Even better, the potatoes really soak up a lot of the flavor and the ground beef sticks to the potatoes as well.
Getting a bite of potatoes, ground beef, melted cheese, egg, Pico de Gallo, and sour cream, is one flavor packed bite of food with several layers of texture to boot. Undoubtedly, this is a very filling, hearty meal.
The Verdict
If you’re craving a good brunch option off the strip in Vegas, look no further than Leone Cafe. Prices are affordable, especially for the portions you get. Even though the cafe itself was bustling, the shopping center was very laid back and mellow with minimal people around on a Saturday. It was a nice change of pace from the Strip. With a diverse menu filled with plenty of intriguing food and drink options, there’s something for everyone to enjoy at Leone Cafe. It’s well worth checking out!
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Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop Stands Out Amongst Other Sandwich Chains
The Background
Capriotti’s is a fast-casual restaurant chain found in 27 states in the US. Its been around for a while, with the first restaurant opening up in 1976. After originally starting in Delaware, Capriotti’s found it’s main home base in Las Vegas. It started expanding to other states in the late 2000s and now has 112 locations nationwide.
Specializing in sub sandwiches, Capriotti’s has been recognized in various publications over the years for its quality subs. One of their most famous sandwiches, called the Bobbie, earned the title of the Greatest Sandwich in America in one recent poll.
Capriotti’s in Red Rock Casino Resort 
The Experience
The Capriotti’s I went to is located inside the food court of the Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa in Las Vegas. It’s in a convenient location (for sports lovers), right next to the sports book. There’s nothing really special about the atmosphere, it’s a pretty standard food court.
I already knew I wanted the Bobbie, but wanted to scope out the rest of the menu. There’s a good amount of options here. From Cheese Steaks to American Wagyu to Classic options like Italian subs, there’s something for every sandwich fan. You can choose a sandwich from 5″ – 18″ depending on how hungry you are.
Despite the temptation of a few other sandwiches on the menu, I came here specifically to try one sandwich: The Bobbie.
The Bobbie At Capriotti’s Is Thanksgiving In A Sandwich
The Hot Bobbie! You can get The Bobbie hot if you choose. Appropriately called The Hot Bobbie, it’s the same as the Bobbie except heated up with grilled slow-roasted turkey. Whether you choose the regular or hot option, the sandwich comprises of slow-roasted turkey, cranberry sauce, handmade stuffing, and mayo. It’s certainly not the prettiest looking sandwich with everything tossed together. But the taste more than makes up for the appearance.
That first bite tastes like a big forkful of Thanksgiving goodness. In one bite, you experience the wonderful flavor of the in-house-made stuffing, the turkey, cranberry, and the soft, flaky roll.
The well-seasoned stuffing tastes great. The turkey shreds are tasty, a bit dry, but the mayo helps a lot. The sweetness from the cranberry mixes well with all the savory. Just like an actual Thanksgiving plate.
Undoubtedly, all of these classic ingredients work well together. What separates this sandwich and makes it special is the quality of the ingredients. The turkey (although a bit dry) is still tasty. The stuffing is excellent. The roll is nice, soft, and flaky. Put them all together and you get a well-crafted, delicious sandwich.
The Verdict
Though more of chain style restaurant, Capriotti’s delivers a really memorable sandwich in the Bobbie.
One thing I’d love to see would be some gravy dipping sauce perhaps? Or even a mashed pototatoes with gravy side to dip the sandwich in. That might be a bit much, but the gravy would really make this sandwich “goated” in my opinion.
Nonetheless, this is a really, really good sandwich.
If I closed my eyes after that first bite, I could swear I was at a family Thanksgiving enjoying a nice Thanksgiving meal. If that’s not the highest compliment a Thanksgiving day sandwich can receive, I don’t know what is.
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Raspberry and Vanilla Pancakes @ Plums Cafe in Costa Mesa, CA | Pacific Northwest Inspired Breakfasts in Orange County Spot
The Background
Nestled into the corner of a non-descript Costa Mesa shopping center is one of the best breakfast locations in Orange County: Plums Cafe.
This popular cafe has been located in Eastside Costa Mesa for over 32 years, speaking volumes to its popularity and lasting appeal.
This is a unique Southern California cafe. Many items on the menu are inspired from the Portland and Seattle areas. The menu pops with items you don’t readily see at other breakfast locations.
The Campfire Rainbow Trout, Smoked Salmon Hash, Dungeness Crab Omlette, and Dutch Baby are a few unique items on the menu. The presentation on all the dishes is top notch, making the food look even more appealing.
In addition to the breakfast / brunch menu there’s a good selection of intriguing lunch items to choose from. I’m a sucker for the breakfast items here so I’ve never ventured into the lunch part of the menu. Tempted, yes, but have never pulled the trigger since I have my favorites here!
Plums also offers a number mixed drinks and other adult beverages that go hand in hand with brunch.
The Experience
I came in knowing what I wanted already but did a quick once over of the menu. I hadn’t been here in quite some time, probably a couple years (!), so wanted to make sure there wasn’t anything new that caught my eye. There were definitely a few things that caught my attention but in the end I had to go with my favorite item on the menu – the Raspberries and Vanilla Cream pancakes ($18).
I’ve tried a few other items on the menu but always find my way back to these pancakes. Also, always have to order a side of the thick cut Pepper Bacon ($4), mmmm bacon.
Now you may say that those aren’t all that unique, you can certainly find Raspberry Pancakes at other breakfast places, but these are on another level.
You get a three-stack of Raspberry Pancakes with raspberries layered in between each. Topped with raspberries, raspberry syrup drizzle, vanilla creme, and powder sugar. They bring out an additional plate with a side of butter and syrup, but you really don’t need them.
The pancakes are so light and airy while bursting with flavor. The combination of the raspberry syrup and vanilla creme is excellent. It really creates flavorful bites with the sweet vanilla taste and slightly tart flavor of the raspberries. Three pancakes is just the right amount for myself as well. They’re more filling then you’d expect for something so light!
The Pepper Bacon is always delicious as well. It doesn’t resemble the familiar crispy bacon from other places; instead, it’s brimming with a peppery saltiness. It’s a little pricey for a couple strips of bacon but the flavor makes it worth it to me.
The Verdict
I’ve been coming to Plum’s for years. The food and service have always been top tier. The Raspberry Pancakes are without a doubt a comfort breakfast item I crave and certainly missed.
Overall, Plum’s provides a wide variety of items on their menu. They offer some unique items not found at many other locations here in SoCal. If you’re in the Costa Mesa area and you’re a breakfast / brunch fan, Plums is definitley worth a try!
Plums Cafe
369 E. 17th Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92627 -
HiroNori Craft Ramen – Irvine, CA | Authentic Broth And Sauce With Fresh Ramen Noodles
The Background
HiroNori opened their first restaurant back in 2017 and have now expanded to 13 locations throughout California, primarily in Southern California. The popular ramen restaurant has received numerous awards from local food critics since its opening. Notable awards include being selected to join the 2019 Michelin Guide and most recently being named a Michelin Guide Bib of the Week in 2023. In other words, this place serves some quality ramen!
HiroNori has three different types of ramen: Tonkotsu Ramen, Shoyu Ramen, and Vegan Ramen. The best known is the Tonkatsu Ramen. The Tonkatsu broth is made in a traditional Japanese manner, prepared with simmered pork bones as its base. The broth takes 24 hours to prepare. The quality and depth of flavor is a positive reflection of this broth preperation.
The Experience
The location I went to was the original restaurant in a small shopping center off Michelson Drive in Irvine. It opens up at 11am so I got there around 11:15am on a Thursday to grab a bowl of Ramen for lunch. One side note here: parking gets really bad in this center during peak hours. It’s a small parking lot for so many restuarants and shops.
On this day, at this time, parking was not too bad. HiroNori itself can get very busy at dinner. It’s a rather small space, so it fills up rapidly. By the time I got to the restaurant, there was no line, but the restaurant was already half full.
There’s no sign above the restaurant. You’ll hvae to find the HiroNori logo on the door. Or just follow the line 
In addition to the ramen HiroNori offers a few rice bowl selections and sides. As mentioned above, there’s three different types of ramen here: Tonkatsu, Shoyu, and Vegan. Tonkatsu ($16.30) was a no-brainer selection for me.
A nice touch here as I waited for my ramen was the water. Yes, I know water is generally an afterthought, but here the water was infused with watermelon, lemon, and mint. Quite refreshing on a summer day!
After sipping on my water, the ramen came out shortly thereafter. Superb service!
Topped with two pieces of pork chashu, green onion, spinach, seaweed, bean sprouts, and a half egg ,this ramen had a lot going on. Just by looking at the hue of the broth, I could tell this was going to be extremely rich.
The broth was indeed very rich and provided quite a unique flavor. Because of its richness, this broth carried more weight than other Tonkatsu broths. With the broth taking 24 hours to prepare there’s a distinct, deep porky flavor, which I haven’t experienced elsewhere. It’s a VERY flavorful Tonkatsu broth.
The pork chashu is very tender and nearly falls apart when picked up. Nicely grilled with fantastic char flavor, this was some good pork chashu. I loved the fat to meat ratio on the two pieces as well!
HiroNori makes fresh noodles daily and it’s readily apparent in both texture and flavor. The noodles are al dente, with great springiness, and are a little thicker than other ramen noodles.
The half egg was great as well. Somewhat between a hard boiled and poached egg. The yolk was very creamy and tasty.
Every bite of the ramen contains multiple layers of textures to enjoy from the noodles, to the pork, the egg, the spinach, seaweed, and green onion. Washing it down with some of that flavor filled broth was truly satisyfying.
The Verdict
HiroNori Craft Ramen offers a unique Tonkatsu Ramen experience. The broth has such a deep, pork infused flavor compared to other Tonkatsu Ramen broths. It’s a real standout. Combined with the freshly made noodles, tender pork chashu, and veggies, it all adds up to one tasty bowl of ramen.
HiroNori stands toe to toe with some of the best ramen locations in Orange County, of which there are many. If you’re in the area of one of their many locations it’s definitely worth a try!
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How Good Is Orange County Seafood Staple Bear Flag Fish?
The Background
Bear Flag Fish has been an Orange County staple since it opened its first establishment in 2007. Now with three locations, two in Newport Beach and one in Huntington Beach, Bear Flag Fish continues to prosper.
A part of the long term success, outside of the delicious food, is the freshness of the fish provided. The history of Bear Flag and how it came to be is pretty interesting.
I wasn’t aware, but evidently they have three boats they use to catch and serve some of the fish you find in their restaurants. Nor was I aware that they have their own local processing plant. Pretty neat!
The Experience
I went to the Huntington Beach restaurant which is located at the Pacific City outdoor mall right on Pacific Coast Highway. It’s a great location with it being located right across the street from the beach. You can grab a table outside and have a great view.
This location, amidst a busy outdoor mall crowd, is always going to be busy. The line when I went wasn’t too bad though since I went at a non-peak time (4ish).
The menu has a wide range of seafood options. From sauteed clams and mussels, fish tacos and burritos, cioppino, seafood plates, and sushi. There’s a little bit of everything for a sea food fan.
I’ve had the fish tacos here before but decided to go with the fish burrito on this day. Suitably called the Bear Flag Burrito ($13.25), it consists of panko-crusted white fish, white or brown rice (I went with white), black beans, lettuce, pico de gallo, tommy sauce, and avocado.
The burrito is decently sized. Something that I appreciated was that everything was mixed well together. With some burritos it’s more layered with all the meat at one end and beans on the other so bites are lacking a mixture of everything. Not the case here!
Seemingly with every bite I got some fish, veggies, rice, and black beans. Seems simple enough but doesn’t always happen with burritos.
What immedietely stands out is the freshness of of the ingredients. Everything in the burrito from the fish to the veggies tastes incredibly fresh.
There’s a good amount of fish in the burriro as well. They don’t skimp here.
Flavor wise it’s good but seems a little lacking in flavor. The fish isn’t overly seasoned so there’s not a ton of taste there. The tommy sauce which is some sort of mayo mixture and hot sauce it seems helps but I needed some extra pizazz. Luckily, there’s plenty of hot sauce options to choose from, which I love, and always go great with fish tacos / burritos.
Texture wise there wasn’t too much here. Surprisingly, no real crunch separated itself from the rest of the burrito. I was hoping the panko covering the fish would be a little crunchy but it wasn’t. Texture doesn’t make or break the burrito but it would certailny help it stand out more.
The Verdict
Bear Flag Fish offers fresh seafood at reasonable prices with a deep pool of diverse items on the menu. The quality and freshness of the ingredients are the clear standouts. Although I found the seasoning and overall flavor of the burrito a little bland, the addition of hot sauce quickly remedied this.
Overall, it’s an enjoyable burrito in a great atmosphere with even better view.
